The Love We Need, But Don't Deserve
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: Years after KHIII, Xion chose to rule Radiant Garden in Kairi's stead. Not everything is sugar and rainbows, though. For one thing, Xion is still in love with Roxas, but is loath to do anything about it since she blames herself for Naminé's death. Once again, the former Organization XIII member has built up walls around herself, but will Roxas be able to save her from them?


**The Love We Need, But Don't Deserve**

Xion raised her head upward, as she saw rays of light shooting upward from Hollow Bastion. At once, she was reminded of Sora and Kairi's memories: of them reaching out for the stars that had been retreating back into the sky, as the worlds returned to a state of normality.

Particularly staring out at the violet hues of the metal city (Xion had always loved purple), she wondered if maybe Roxas was reaching out to the flakes the way she herself was at the moment. It was a romantic and foolish notion, to be sure, but one she treasured all the same. And maybe… Maybe she even treasured it more than the thought of going to the beach again. It was certainly possible…

At the moment, Xion was surveying Hollow Bastion for any remains of the type of lab that had created her. She knew well that Ansem the Wise, upon his rescue, had been quick to destroy the laboratories in Castle Oblivion, The Castle That Never Was, and the on in his old study in Radiant Garden.

But even with all of that, Xion strongly suspected, that not even he knew of the place that had once held Aqua's armor. In fact, Xion herself had only discovered the place from having accidentally absorbed some of Aqua's memories into herself. Xion supposed it was the absorbing part—more than anything else—that really made her want to destroy that lab, as well. She… well, to put it simply, the lab that had been used to create her and the Riku Replica both didn't belong in this world, or any for that matter, and Xion…

"Hey, Xi-Xi, whatchu doin'?" A small smile playing at her lips for all the slang Roxas had used in his question (but even moreso, Xion smiled because for the nickname Roxas had christened her), Xion supposed that even if her very nature had been deigned for destruction… at least she'd still been able to construct something magical with Roxas. And through that magic, Xion and Roxas were now ruling Radiant Garden (in Kairi's stead) together, but…

"Something's wrong?" Roxas questioned Xion in a low, concerned voice he used only for her, upon leaping up over the white brick wall and landing directly in front of Merlin's oak, wooden door. Or, perhaps, more accurately: he landed right in front of Xion (something that quickly made the girl aim to hide her face from him).

To be frank, Xion knew that she didn't want Roxas to worry about her at all; she'd made him worry about her far too much during their time in the Organization. And yet- and yet even though she tried to with all her might, Xion simply couldn't smile all the time. She wasn't Kairi, and-

"Xion, look at me," Roxas muttered, as he put both hands on Xion's shoulders, so he could turn her to face him. And with said motion—and the fact his wind-tousled hair was brushing against her face—Xion became aware of two things at once. First off, the feel of him was just much too nice, and if she wasn't careful, she knew she'd break all her efforts of indifference around him. Even more importantly, though, with the pain written clearly in his deep, blue eyes… Xion understood just why she'd chosen to hide her feelings, and never become anything more than a friend to Roxas. He was… he was still too hurt and lost from the loss of Naminé, and she…

"It's nothing," Xion found herself saying, as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear in a fashion very similar to what Kairi would have done (oh god; Xion hoped that Roxas wouldn't read that motion as her wanting to be like "Kairi" and him "Sora"). "I'm just afraid that Zander missed his Master too much today. I tried to show him what I know with the Keyblade, but you know he's in that 'bros before hoes' faze, so…"

That, at least, was enough to make Xion laugh whole-heartedly. After the defeat of Xehanort, Roxas and Xion had both thought of getting an apprentice to train in the ways of the Keyblade, but upon realizing they'd be taking up the reigns of ruling Radiant Garden (it would have been Kairi, but she'd wanted to stay home with Sora for a few years, and thus the mantle had been passed to Kairi's "youngest sister" Xion; and Roxas had decided to come help Xion just because he was an amazing friend like that), they'd decided that one student would have to suffice for the time being.

In truth, Xion didn't really consider herself Zander's Master at all, as he so obviously aimed to please only Roxas, but she always tried to help with his training when he wanted it. In fact, though Xion supposed Zander might have been purposefully trying to rile her with his stance on her, she found the whole thing downright hilarious (though she let Zander think that the whole thing bothered her).

Yes, the arrival of Zander in their lives couldn't have come at a better time, Xion knew. And often enough… it allowed her just a bit of reprieve from her thoughts of Roxas… until, well until she imagined how Zander could've passed as her and Roxas' son in another life; that always seemed to make Xion sad again. It was all a very vicious cycle, indeed.

"Xion, I know that's not all," Roxas insisted sternly, as he folded his hands over his chest, before leaning so close into Xion's face, that she fell backwards and through Merlin's door.

As she gracelessly tripped over a globe of Radiant Garden that sat to the right, the former Number Fourteen had to wonder just how the door had opened of its own accord, and when Merlin had opted to buy the dang globe. It probably didn't really matter, Xion allowed, but she didn't exactly fancy looking like an idiot in front of Roxas. _Especially _since she knew her out of character behavior was probably only aiding in making him even more suspicious of her.

"Just when have you decided to brush your teeth with grass stain smelling stuff?" Xion snapped, as she tried to come up with some excuse as for her behavior, and also attempted to get over Roxas' could've-been-kiss. The moment she saw the hurt in his own eyes, though, Xion found herself wishing that she could just take the past few seconds back.

Reaching out towards Roxas subconsciously, Xion couldn't help but remember just what she'd been wondering a little bit ago: had Roxas been reaching for something during the light show, too? Xion was just about to go and ask Roxas about it, but as it was, she was saved from her would-be-blunder in the form of Terra.

"Yo. 'Rebel Masters Like Me'! Come over here, would ya?" Xion smiled at Terra's—who had become like an older brother to her—words, as he came in to inform her and Roxas about how he and the other wielders' lives were going. Of course, Terra's term had been in reference to the fact that Roxas, Xion, and he had never made it to Master status, but had taken on pupils nonetheless.

Smiling as her older friend lifted her up into his arms, and twirled her around in greeting, Xion found herself feeling just a bit better about everything. Terra's sudden appearance and doting over Xion was a good reminder that she could do anything if she set her mind to it.

Even... even things that she shouldn't have been able to by her own rules… She could never forget, after all, that she was just a Replica made out of spare parts of people. Her Keyblade, even, was just a copy of Roxas'—and in turn, Sora's—and yet... and yet Xion had still gone ahead and forged her own knowledge and power, and with Roxas' help... Well, Xion truly hoped they more than succeeded as Zander's Masters at the very least.

Yes, in Terra's arms, it was easy for Xion to truly remember that there were good things in the world, and good in her.

...

"I'm surprised your doing this, Xion," Kairi said one day, as the two of them sat out in the castle's frozen pool atop their floats, and pretended that they were sailing by in the warm summer water.

Blinking her eyes open slowly, as the warm clothes she was wearing (though she, of course, was pretending she was on the beach and in a bikini) had nearly put her to sleep, Xion found herself amazed that even in the deep winter, the sun could be so very blinding. So that, at least, was a consolation to her being in the prison she was, but…

"I'm sorry, Kairi. I must have drifted off for a moment there. Come again?" Knitting her hands together at the memory of times past (a time in which she might have poked fun at her own words, the way she often had Axel's catchphrase), Xion could already guess just what her sister was going to ask. And if she was right, then… well, Xion supposed she ought to have made fun of herself for being so stupid.

Chewing on her lip a bit nervously, as she knew exactly what she wanted to say to Kairi, but held it back all the same, Xion had to wonder just why Kairi was bringing this up now. She'd found happiness and peace again! Sure her life wasn't perfect, but... she was ruling Radiant Garden to the best of her ability, and... And maybe Xion wasn't living on a beach like she'd always wanted, but Kairi (who had lived a lot longer than she had, and therefore deserved so much more) was at least getting to live her dream; to that end, Xion tried to deal with all of it as best she could.

"Why don't you tell Roxas you love him? It's so obvious that you do. You two could be happy together, Xi. But sometimes I feel like you don't know how to be happy anymore,"

Kairi muttered, as she leaned forward on her purple lounge-float, only to serve in falling forward and elbowing the ice so hard that it splintered and bled.

Laughing at that, as it kept a tense environment from becoming too much so, Xion had to wonder just what sort of caffeineinated drinks her sister had been downing this time, to end up so hyper. It was also humorous that even though they were on frozen water—whilst pretending to be swimming—that... that somehow true water would actually end up being shown, and even more interesting: that it would end up looking like the tears Xion had been crying for far too long. In fact, the way the fissure over the water curved this way and that (being as imperfect as Xion herself was) made the once Replica realize that maybe even imperfection could become beautiful if given the right specifications.

Too soon, though, was Xion pulled back to reality and did her thoughts sober. It was a sad truth of growing up, but a truth nevertheless that one had little time for much of anything, even laughter, without having heavy thoughts intrude. Like right now? Xion was counting all the things she had to do as princess, as well as the things she chose to do because she knew they were right.

Xion would never let a servant lift a finger for her, if she could help it (it was especially saddening that the help would try to burden themselves when Xion could handle a lot of it with a flick of her Keyblade), and so that left Xion with many chores to do, as she listened to the complaints of the kitchen staff.

And Roxas... though Xion's best friend was much the same as she was, when it came to helping folks, he usually caused more trouble than he prevented. And even back when they'd been in Organization XIII, Xion had understood that letting Roxas near anything about baking was surely a death sentence waiting to happen...

Still, if nothing else, Roxas' antics always served to put a smile on Xion's face. It was especially nice for her, seeing as how Roxas hadn't needed to stay with her at all: he could have gone back to Twilight Town with Axel, Hayner, Pence, and Olette, whilst Xion was crowned, but he hadn't.

And truth be told... though Roxas did make Xion sad at times, he also made her happier than she ever could've imagined. And maybe things were better that way, the former Replica found herself thinking, as she looked over at Kairi and hoped for her friend to understand her stance on Roxas, just by the look in her eyes.

Like Light and Darkness needed each other to balance out, one couldn't understand true happiness without the prospect of pain. And as Roxas had brought Xion more joy than anyone or anything in the world ever had, maybe what she had now was much more than fair for that. It was certainly more than Xion'd ever thought to hope for for one such as herself. And that could be enough. It would have to be.

After all, Roxas' refusal did bring nice sense of clarity and realism to her world. And as Xion was done living in a house of lies and mirrors, that was something she knew that she needed. It wouldn't be until much later that Xion realized the sad look Kairi gave her was much too familiar and clear... and that it was clearly one she'd learned from Roxas.

...

"You're being particularly weird today," Xion observed with narrowed blue eyes, as she raised her nose haughtily, and rejoiced in the thrashing she'd given to the few Heartless that had appeared. In truth, Xion didn't know whom she was talking to. While it was true it could have been Zander, who had weirdly doubted her skills, even after she'd helped train him, but it could have just as easily been Roxas.

He had- he had been acting strange since the moment she'd destroyed Ansem's former lab, she knew. What that meant exactly, Xion couldn't begin to fathom, but when Roxas caught a staggering Xion into his arms, and waved Zander away (when had- when had she gotten so lightheaded?), Xion could only begin to guess at all that had been happening around her lately.

Standing on her tiptoes in an attempt to see Roxas better, but only succeeding in having him jostle her in his arms when he perceived too keenly that she wasn't aright, Xion found herself realizing that maybe she just couldn't be sure of anything anymore. Everything was just becoming so confusing! And Roxas wasn't making any of it better at all. Just what was going on between them? Xion wondered, as she edged closer to see his face. What was-

"Xion, what are we doing?" Roxas asked with a strange, somber tone in his voice that sounded way too similar to the way he'd spoken whilst helping her up in Agrabah.

Speaking of which, Xion couldn't help but feel the position Roxas now had her in was much too close for comfort. It rang too closely to the past and memories they'd used to share: a past that Xion knew that she could never have again in the present. She'd spent so much time building up walls, so that Roxas' eventual dismissal of her wouldn't hurt so much, but even so…

Xion was only just now realizing she'd left chinks in her armor, so that Roxas could reach her if need be. But those holes… those holes were just ammunition for him to rip her apart more than he already had, weren't they?

She couldn't… She couldn't do this anymore. In the past, Xion had thought that Roxas' voice had held so much love for her and her alone—in fact, it was the same tone he was using with now—but she'd been completely wrong, hadn't she? Roxas could never love her, Xion understood now. And she'd been nothing but a fool to think otherwise. Not when the love of Sora and Kairi and Roxas and Naminé were what made up the world. And she...

"I'm worrying about you, of course!" Xion shouted out before she could stop herself, to answer Roxas' previous question. And clapping a hand over her mouth in shock and disappointment with herself, Xion had to wonder just what the heck she'd been thinking in revealing what she just had. While it was always true that she worried about Roxas, she hadn't been truly concerned for him in a long time, but it was so... it was so similar to their time back in the Organization, when Xion had been annoyed that Roxas didn't think she worried about him

And as she looked back on it now, Xion considered that maybe she'd always had a problem of saying too much around Roxas? For one thing, she knew well that she shouldn't have hinted at the truth of her existence to him (as it had been her cross to bare), but to allow herself to do the same sort of thing now…. just what she hoping to accomplish? Xion knew she couldn't approach Roxas with her feelings after what had happened to Naminé, but…

"Xion, why are you worrying about me for?" Roxas asked, as he put his hands on either side of Xion's face, and leaned her back against the orange and white diamond door of Ansem's study. And not liking at all how close he was to her, or that he was seemingly messing with her emotions, Xion prepared herself to slap the love of her life across the face, but before she got the chance to (and she really wanted to, after Roxas explained he'd made Kairi talk to her when they'd been swimming, and he'd been eaves dropping on Xion's answers), Xion suddenly found her attention otherwise absorbed.

As Roxas' lips pressed into Xion's, and his tongue slid along her upper lip, it took her a moment to remember just why what was happening was a bad thing. Oddly enough, it was when his upper lip tugged on her bottom one that she understood.

Shoving Roxas away angrily, Xion tried not to think on why his ministrations had left her so unsettled (because they'd always have a yo-yo affect, her mind screamed at her! Because she'd always be lower on the rung than he was!), and instead cloaked herself in the lies and rules of propriety she'd been landed with since her coronation, and regarded Roxas with ice. "Roxas, please don't do this. You can't just grab at a princess like that, okay? Well, I suppose you already did, seeing as how Naminé was the next in line before me, but… but you're too lowborn for a princess. This isn't the way- I'm sorry, but I'm only ever going to be what I am, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise."

If Axel were in Roxas' place, Xion knew he would have looked at her in a cold and calculating manner for her words. Riku, on the other hand, would opt to simply keep up his stoic and aloof attitude towards. But Roxas, on the other hand, just looked at her with a different passion in his eyes than any sort Xion had seen before; it almost made her curious, but even so… it was still just another form of passion, wasn't it? Somehow, that cut Xion to the quick more than anything had.

But most of all, Xion internally cried for the fact she'd never truly be anything to Roxas, but the best friend who loved him in the wrong way. He would… he would never really love her. Like Naminé had once been to Sora, Xion knew that she'd always be Roxas' filler girl, and that was… that was something she found she couldn't take anymore.

"No, Xion. Don't do that, okay? I know you're going to run away now and shut me out. You always do, but listen!"

_How can I, when the way you're clutching my arms now is how Naminé once held onto you, whilst she tried to talk to you before DiZ interfered? _

Needless to say, Xion decided that if Roxas was going to treat her like Naminé, then she would play the part well. Choosing a sort of action she'd promised herself she'd never resort to—or more accurately, an inaction—Xion stood there in Roxas' arms, and lost herself in her own mind until he was done telling her what he wanted to.

Fortunately for both of them, though, Roxas must have realized what she was doing halfway through, because he didn't spend as much time filling her in as he could have. In fact, as Xion came back to reality—her blue eyes blinking curiously—she thought he probably hadn't even gotten to say what he'd meant to. In a way, she felt bad for that, but in another? She'd been hurt too badly to really care.

"I loved you, you know?" Roxas completely surprised Xion by saying, as he came closer to her with an air of finality to his actions and chose to kiss her on the forehead. Tears threatening to overwhelm the self-control she'd put on herself, all Xion could do was stay perfectly still—once again—until Roxas pulled away from Xion, and hurried down the corridor he'd just come from.

As Xion slid down the wall, until she was resting with her knees drawn beneath her chin, all she could do was cry. And if a Crimson Jazz came to aim fireballs at her head just then, Xion didn't notice. She was too cold to feel any sort of warmth anymore.

…

_"Naminé's gone, Xion. No one could ever replace her, but I…"_

"_What do you want me to say or do, Roxas?_ _It's my fault she's dead, anyway. Mine! And God… even Sora's suspicious of me! And now you tell me you want to love me? How can you do that to her memory? How could I do that? It's what I always wanted, but…"_

"_Xion, you were the one I really wanted to be with to begin with! But you could never see what was right in front of you! I loved Naminé, yes. But you… you were always the other half of my heart."_

Waking up in a cold sweat, Roxas found himself once again remembering the memory Xion had apparently blocked off from her mind. He'd hoped- hoped so much that someday Xion would stop blaming herself, and choose to put herself first for once. Just one freakin' time! Roxas had thought, surely, that Xion'd remember how he'd told her he loved her… but that day had never come, and it was now starting to seem like it never would. He'd been stupid in kissing her like that, Roxas knew, but he'd thought maybe if he just took the initiative… but now he'd just served in ruining everything, hadn't he?

"Hey: breakfast's up, Roxas!" Pulling his head up from the table he'd fallen asleep at reluctantly, Roxas wondered if it was wrong for him to wish that it was Xion's cheery voice talking to him rather than Kairi's. The two sounded so much alike, but in truth… Roxas couldn't even remember the last time Xion had sounded that happy.

Deciding not to focus on Kairi for the moment (because though it wasn't her fault, her influence on so many girls' lives was exactly his problem at the moment), Roxas found himself wondering just when Kairi had painted their once white kitchen counter a light, orangey brown. Twitching his nose this way and that, Roxas noted that the air had a certain barbeque scent to it.

Rolling his eyes at Kairi's oddness, the former Nobody thought it wouldn't have been too much a surprise, if Kairi had opted to cook barbequed chicken so early in the morning. Apparently the girl loved it and its color so much, she'd chosen to paint the kitchen counter that color, as well. Either that, or Roxas was still just half asleep and dreaming. He was leaning more towards the former, but he wouldn't rule out the latter, either. He was very exhausted, after all.

"Y'know, eventually your people are going to realize you're not really sick, Kairi. And when they do, they're going to make you rule this place instead of Xion. You are the first crowned princess, you know. And at least Sora would be able to be you- Aw, shit!"

Completely forgetting what he'd been thinking of just a moment ago, Roxas hastily jumped out of his chair (with such gusto, in fact, that his chair twirled and twirled and twirled whilst making a whistling sound), and he grabbed onto Kairi's hand, where she'd just cut it.

Without thinking, of course, Roxas put his hand over it, hoping to stop the blood. Then, as his mind started to cloud up in hysteria, he couldn't help but feel the blood on her hands was now becoming his, and that they were connected in that way.

It was only when Roxas truly thought about connected blood that he understood it hadn't been Kairi he'd been talking to at all. Rather, it had been Xion using a bit of magic (payback for his spying on her, maybe?) to look like Kairi. Roxas supposed he should have known as soon as Xion tried to copy Kairi much too thoroughly (like with her love for barbeque sauce and all, but)…

"What are you waiting for, Xion? Use a cure spell and heal yourself already!" It wasn't so much that Roxas was trying to be a jerk, that he wasn't healing the again-black-haired-girl before him, but… Well, Roxas found he was still in quite a bit of shock, if truth be told. Most of all, though… Roxas found that he wanted to see Xion do something to take care of herself, and he was beginning to fear she never would.

When her dark blue eyes locked with his confusedly, and tears poured down her eyes, he found he'd been far too right. "You lost the Keyblade, huh? Xion, you need to remember to be brave. Be true to your-"

And faster than Roxas had seen Xion move in a very long time, he suddenly found his love resting within his arms and Xion burying her face into his chest, as she cried and cried and cried. Craning his head to the side curiously, as he noted how she was holding his hand in a certain way, Roxas thought he could gather what she was doing.

Was she… was she holding onto him in the hope she could copy his Keyblade again? On one hand, Roxas wanted to laugh hysterically at the weirdness that was his dear Xion. But on the other side of it, though, he almost wanted to break out in tears himself, in remembering how messed up things had been between them lately.

Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas noted a loose thread from his coat arm land itself on Xion's sweaty hand. And as the thread didn't fall back his way, Roxas found himself wondering if it was finally time. Threads of fate had connected them from the beginning, he knew, but was an insignificant string now trying to tell them to truly tie themselves together? If so, Roxas decided he wasn't going to take things fore granted anymore. And so he said, "I love you, Xion. Please know and remember that. I always have and always will, and I wanna give myself to you, but I know you haven' been in any position to let me in or believe in me lately. Please stop torturing yourself, and let yourself be loved. Xion, I-"

Trailing off, when he sensed a sort of magic happening around him, Roxas found he was almost jealous that Xion's Keyblade would choose now of all times to come back (if that was, in fact, what was happening, anyway). Now she'd be all focused on that, Roxas knew, and she wouldn't be able to truly take his words to heart.

Even so… if it was something that would make Xion happy, Roxas found he couldn't fault the thing too much. Xion deserved light in her life more than anyone else did, and though he'd gone out of his way to try and make her feel loved and wanted, he knew she hadn't seen it. If this was something that would make her feel better about herself, though, who was he to question it?

Especially when… especially when her Keyblade was actually made by her heart. Yes, he could be selfless in this one instance, Roxas told himself. Especially since she'd been unselfish for him all along. "Xion, what's-"

Watching transfixed, as light began trailing along Xion's form, not unlike when the Data Naminé had faded before his eyes (though Roxas knew he was probably one of the few that never would even think to compare the two girls, as they were so different), he was almost worried that Xion would now disappear on him, too.

It would've been like… when Naminé had become a part of the Light after Sora had thanked her, and Roxas had decided to be there for her (how Xion blamed herself for the loss of Nami, Roxas couldn't say. But maybe because she'd chosen to let Naminé and himself be together, and in the end, it had been the Light that had made Naminé fade away?).

And maybe… Maybe that would have been his just desserts, Roxas told himself. He'd never loved anyone the right way, anyway: his Other, his best friend, the two girls he'd wanted to spend his life with… Roxas had never cherished them the way he knew he should've.

Xion, especially, Roxas knew he'd wronged. He'd watched on as she'd destroyed the sort of labs that had created her—had watched on and had done nothing as she destroyed herself that way—so it would only be fitting if he lost out again, wouldn't it? He was no Sora. Far from it, actually. And yet… yet the way the light cascading over Xion seemed to resemble the light from the old Radiant Garden, Roxas couldn't imagine how something like that could ever be wrong.

And when Xion became just as tall as him, Roxas knew he'd been right to think that. She was absorbing more of his memories, wasn't she? This time, though, Roxas knew it wouldn't hurt anyone. And she… she more than deserved to see and understand how he loved her.

Oddly, though, when Xion began speaking and trembling, no doubt witnessing the sort of love she herself had closed herself off from lately, Roxas felt as though he was the one crying, even before she said a word. They really were that connected, weren't they?

"'_Xion, don't try to do so much on your own.' 'Xion, come try this new sort of ice cream with the rest of us.' 'Xion, if you want to know the truth, I like Kairi even better than Olette, as she has your humor.'_ Roxas, you said all of this to me. You were always there for me, and I- I never saw it. How could I not see it?! I love you, and thought I'd memorized everything about you, and yet- I had no idea. No idea that you'd loved me this all this time, and so very much! Now I feel like I'm the selfish and unseeing one, I-"

"You should have had it memorized, Xi," Roxas laughed, as he pulled Xion closer to him after he'd brushed her tears away. As he smiled at her sweetly, Roxas almost challenged her to peek at his memories, and see how he'd once said those words to Axel _because_ he'd loved how Xion made fun of his catchphrase.

Instead, though, Roxas just chose to remain silent, and enjoy it as Xion curled herself even closer into his arms—where she belonged and always would—and began loving him in the way that only she could. Not even Naminé could get Roxas in the way that Xion did, as both girls were unique, and Roxas… Roxas would always prefer and want it that way. He'd never needed them to try and be the other, he'd just needed each of their own love.

And as Xion made another jibe at him (so much like the old her, thankfully!), Roxas wondered if maybe she had read his mind, like how she'd used to when they were in the Organization together (and hopefully she'd continue to do so from now on and forever). "Roxas, I wish I could draw you something to express my feelings for you like Naminé does, or maybe write you something beautiful like Kairi would, but I can't. I'm just me, you see?" Xion muttered self-consciously, upon folding her hands over her heart, and averting her eyes nervously.

Smirking at her, Roxas told Xion something he'd been longing to for many years (even when he'd temporarily lost and forgotten her, what now seemed like a lifetime ago), and now he finally could. And this time, perhaps for the first time, they completely understood every odd, end, good and bad thing, and insecurity about each other. "Which is exactly what I need, Xion."

Years down the road, the two former Organization members would remember how their first, true kiss had tasted like healing rain. They'd also remember how Radiant Garden's beams had gone off around them as they kissed, seeming to want to dance amongst the perfect pair. Even more meaningful, though, they'd remember how Roxas had put the thalassa shell he'd held onto for so many years into Xion's hair, and that Xion's frown faded away into a smile, thus replacing the memory of when she'd faded away in Roxas' arms, and they'd both been lost to Darkness.

**Author's Note: For RokuShi Day. I hope you all enjoyed it:) I've missed writing for this couple.**


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